Michael Todd

The first step in stopping future mass shootings is figuring out what we know and working from there. Unfortunately, the real first step is getting rid of a bunch of stuff we "know" that turns out to be wrong.

A new-ish political action committee wants to see professionals from science, technology, math, and engineering stop carping from the political sidelines and start running for elected office.

It's an unpalatable truth, but since we're already late in attacking climate change we better learn how to adapt.

Italy's fumbled effort to dilute bad apples by placing them in barrels of good ones failed spectacularly, but it offers lessons about migrants and organized crime for today.

Tis the season to be gone from work. A leading researcher on going AWOL offers his observations about global customs, mild deviance, an improving job scene, and showing up at the office to spread viruses along with the holiday cheer.

From babies' tantrums to labor strikes to guerrilla wars to global terrorism, there may be one simple math equation, a power law, that benchmarks them all. Better yet, it may allow us to predict these confrontations' future.

On the eve of a monster MegaMillions draw, here's another explanation of why those who can least afford it play the lottery: It helps them blow off steam.

Rather than keeping information of workplace injuries under wraps, Americans should be happy to learn we're seeing fewer of them.

A study of Israeli drivers finds that being in a serious accident suggests you've probably gotten a ticket in recent years.

There are a lot of unknowns about the ecological effects of ocean-based renewable energy. A screwy permitting process, a new analysis argues, makes answering those questions that much harder.

Talk about global warming quickly turns to the question of carbon in the atmosphere. But the more fundamental observation about how much sunshine the planet bounces back into space should probably precede any mention of greenhouse gases.

Surely what happens to the Union Jack is one of the more minor concerns that would follow Scottish independence—except that it's not.

An effort to cut income taxes and improve water quality in The Netherlands foundered by doing lots of things not too well.

A series of lawsuits attempting to establish legal personhood for chimpanzees has been unleashed in New York. While its backers cite precedents like slavery and gay rights in their pleadings, perhaps an example from the boardroom is in order.

Once again we're reminded that it's not just those who choose to put themselves in harm's way who die during a war.

When entertaining dignitaries, cover-ups are always in vogue.

Now that Uncle Sam is no longer a back-seat driver for the auto business, this is a good time to pull over and remember one of his signal acts while in the car.

Ancient people of Mesoamerica apparently liked a hot drink in the morning, too. A spicy hot drink, that is.

When it comes to making ethanol, taking a hard, second look at seemingly great ideas is smart policy.

Restoring Africa's peace could be helped by restoring its fabled—and endangered—fauna.

More evidence from Dr. Brian Elbel shows that menu labeling isn't really working.

Evidence keeps mounting that Americans' love affair with the car, while hardly over, has entered a new phase.

Reconciling democracy and shari'a is certainly do-able, but the results may not enthrall the West.

If you drop out of high school, odds are you'll end up in a dead-end job for life. But the odds get a lot better if you happen to have some computer skills.

As you watch 12 Years a Slave recall that the market in humanity really was a market—with dizzying asset price changes, speculative bubbles, and a fear of volatility greater than a fear of civil war.

As feared, the possibility of once rare or neglected diseases slopping out of the cauldron that is Syria is becoming more real.

A new study estimates that at least 600,000 bats died last year in the Lower 48 from wind turbines.

A new analysis of the gender gap in physics assessments between male and female students doesn't solve the STEM disparity, but it's a good primer on current thought.

In continuing to address the chicken-and-egg question of jobs and population, it seems that Mexican-born workers are quick to relocate to greener pastures.

Understand that human thinking is fuzzy around the edges, which is totally different from how computers compute.

It’s resurgent measles and "Aleppo evil" ... and dengue fever in Houston.

A recent survey of modern exorcists reveals a surprising lack of drama in the business of casting out demons.

A new report says that in Britain social science majors find more employment than science and technical grads. While that seems a little too grand, it is good news that sociologists and geographers will find good work.

The role of humans and wildfire is a complex tale of evolution and generally of loss. The experience of Aboriginal communities suggests the outcome doesn't have to be sad.

So-called "open access" academic publishing saves money and has political backing. But is it a good idea?

The lust to kill is somewhat normal, and cruelty can have some benefits. But the researchers who are exploring those sad discoveries are also working to bust up the vicious circle that offers these insights.

Surveying the fat of the land, researchers look for any connection between obesity and rules intended to fight it.

There are lots of factors that determine green buying patterns, but for those in the second half of life a certain level of status is attached to driving a hybrid.

Vehicle to grid technology has been talked about for a decade and half, and an industry consultant suggests it may finally start paying off.

A new study rising from the ashes of a flawed old one estimates a half million Iraqis died as a result of the U.S.-led invasion and occupation.

Hunters using lead ammunition leave a potent neurotoxin scattered in the outdoors; alternative ammunition is really good. Why are efforts to ban lead ammunition so difficult?

The European Court of Human Rights has ruled that websites on that continent can be responsible for their commenters' over-the-top statements. Beware, rest of the world.

If a country's human population is long-lived, it's bad news for the local critters—almost as bad as being a native bird in New Zealand.

A new paper details when just about anywhere on the world can expect to have inarguable proof that global warming isn't a debate topic but a reality.

Trying to get a handle on how best to fight wildfires should include understanding the fires' collateral damage.

The Internet is awash with information, good and bad, on medical conditions, but it can be tough to find solid facts on the quality and costs of health options. Will the newly opened health exchanges overcome this latest manifestation of the digital divide?

Whether they are creating jobs or cooperation, new research backs up a positive role for the well-off—up to a point.

If you're trying to change somebody's mind, it's probably better if you let their eyes wander.

The circuitry that controls emotions and smell is all tangled up in the brain.

For the first time ever, molecules of plastic have been found outside of planet Earth.